Improvement in teavellees foe the jib s boom of vessels



mh W125- datent @Hita SEWALL H.. DOWNS, 0F BANGOR, MINE.

Letters .Patent No. 67,639, dated August 13, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN TRAVELLBRS FOR THE JIBS BOOM OF VESSELS.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY' CONOERN:

Be it known that I, SEWALL H. DOWNS, of Bangor', in the county of Penobscot, and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Travellers for the'Jibs Boom of Ships, Schooners, and other craft; and I hereby declare that the followingvis a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Figure lis apcrspective view of my invention, in which A designates a section of the jib-boom; B, the bar affixed to the jib-boom, and upon which the traveller moves; C, thecap or box of the traveller; D, the rod, or other contrivance, by which the traveller is connected with the jibs boom; a a, the rollers within the cap or box of the traveller, and b b t t the axles upon which the rollers revolve.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of my improvement, in which B designates the bar'upon which the traveller moves; C, the cap or box of the traveller; a a a a, the rollers within the box or cap of the traveller, and b b the axles upon which the rollers revolve.

It may here be stated, in explanation, thata jibs boom, as contradistinguished herein from ajib-boom, is a spar or timber attached to the bottom of the main jib, and, at its forward extremity, generally connected with thejib-boom by a traveller or other similar contrivance.

rIhe nature of my invention consists in providing the traveller with internal rollers, both above and below the bar upon which the traveller moves, in ordei` to prevent the binding of the traveller, and to lessen the friction and consequent wear and teai ofthe several parts.

To enable others skilled in the art to make' and use my improvement, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation.

I construct the bar, upon which the traveller moves, of suitable metal, in a flat form, with right-angular edges, and alhxecl to thejib-boom in the usual manner, as shown at B in the accompanying drawings. I construct thee-ap or box of the traveller of suitable metal, and of such shape and size as to rit down over the bar, and to contain two or more rollers above, and two or more rollers below the bar, as shown at C inthe accompanying drawings. I construct the rollers of suitable metal, perforated longitudinally through the centre to receive axles, and place them within the box or cap of the traveller, at right angles to the bar and tothe cap or box of the traveller in a horizontal plane, as shown at a a and a a a a in the accompanying drawings. I construct the rollers so as not to bear tightly upon the bar, but so as to allow a very slight vertical and llateral movement of the traveller, as it moves backward and forward upon the bar. I construct the pins or axles of the rollers o f suitable metal and pass them through the rollers, and through both sides of the cap or box ofthe traveller, as shown at b b bb in theaccompanying drawings, and secure them firmly in their places, in such manner that they act as axles to the-rollers, and, if need be, as bolts to prevent the box or cap of the traveller from spreading at its base.

In operation, the rollers a a tt a revolve readily upon their axlcs'b b b b, and allow thc traveller to move surely, freely, evenly, and with. very'little friction along thebar, and the traveller is guided along the bar and held in a vertical position by the rollers a a a a and the sides of the cap or box C.

The advantages gained by my improvement are, firstly, that all danger of the binding of the traveller upon the bar, or between the bar and the jib-boom, is avoided, in whatever position the jibs boom may be, and in whatever direction the traveller may bear upon the bar or pull against it. This is of the greatest importance,

for the binding or fouling. ot" the traveller common occurrence with the travellers now in use) renders the jib unmanageable, and often occasions the loss or breakage of the traveller or of thejibs boom, even if it does not occasion more serious disaster; secondly, the traveller moves most readily along the bar, enabling the jib to adapt itself, with the greatest certainty and eelerity, to every change in the force or direction of the wind; thirdly, the friction and consequent wear andv tear 'upon thc several parts are greatly lessened, and the durability of the traveller much increased; and, fourthly, the traveller, having very little play, cannot pressv down upon and gouge the jlb-boom, as happens with the travellers now in use, especially when somewhat worn by the constant friction which theyY sustain.

l I do not wish to be understood as claiming, as my invention, thc particular shape, either of the bar B or of the cap or box C, 0r of the rod' D, as shown in the accompanying drawings; but what I do claim as my invention and improvement, and desire to secure by Letters Iatont, is

Providing the interior of the cap or box of the traveller, for the jibs boom, with two or more rollers above and two or morerollers below the bar, and affixed substantially as set forth, to enable the traveller to move surely and easily along the bar without danger of binding, and to decrease the friction upon the several parts, for the purposes and in the manner substantially as set forth. v

' SEWALL H. DOWNS,

Witnesses:

O. `L. Downs H. McLEAN. 

